Since my wife and I no longer mountain bike like we used to 10-12 years ago, and we are enjoying our new Electra cruisers so much, we decided we would try converting our mountain bikes to something a lot more fun for us. I've seen some threads here on RRB that shows the results of such conversions and we like what we see.
We have my wife's Trek 8000 and my Schwinn Moab 3 to play with. I am really looking forward to this.
Here's the rub. Since I will be doing all the work with only creative input from my wife and I have no experience at all tearing down and modifying bikes (this will be my first and second build), I'm gonna need a lot of help here and it seems you kindly rad rodders here are usually willing to offer it.
I plan on starting the conversions this fall when it cools down giving us time to enjoy the summer and save some money for the builds. I'll use the intervening time to gather my thoughts on what we want to do.
What I see so far is:
1) stripping and re-painting the frames and wheels. Looks like the Dupli-Color products are good for this.
2) replacing the front forks, handle bars, grips, seat posts, seats, pedals, tires and maybe the front chainring (see below)
3) adding the fun stuff like fenders, chainguards, mirrors and bells
This thread will probably run to infinity and beyond, so I'll start exhibiting my complete lack of knowledge with the following...
First question: Is there an "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Converting A Mountain Bike To A Cruiser" reference anywhere?
Just kidding, I sorta know the answer to that one so...
Second question: Can I replace the front three-ring chainring for a simple chainring?
Why you ask?
Well, first of all, who needs 21 speeds on a cruiser, right? Secondly, I would like to simplify the looks of the bike by getting rid of a derailleur and one of the handle bar controllers and also to be able to add a chainguard if I can find something that would work. I figure a single chainring somewhere between the largest and second largest diameters with an appropriate tooth count would do the trick. I'm also assuming some spacers will be necessary so the right crank will clear the frame. Will this require new cranks or is this question completely dependent on the crank set in place? The Trek has a Bontrager Comp, 22/32/44 teeth crankset with Shimano Deore LK deraileurs/shifters and the Schwinn has a Shimano Alivio, 22/32/42 teeth crankset with a combination of Shimano Alivio, Acera and STX-RC deraileurs/shifters.
I'm gonna leave it there for now and go think up some more stuff to drive you folks crazy. I'd go to my LBS, but those guys are worthless with anything that doesn't apply to expensive road bikes.
Thanks!
We have my wife's Trek 8000 and my Schwinn Moab 3 to play with. I am really looking forward to this.
Here's the rub. Since I will be doing all the work with only creative input from my wife and I have no experience at all tearing down and modifying bikes (this will be my first and second build), I'm gonna need a lot of help here and it seems you kindly rad rodders here are usually willing to offer it.
I plan on starting the conversions this fall when it cools down giving us time to enjoy the summer and save some money for the builds. I'll use the intervening time to gather my thoughts on what we want to do.
What I see so far is:
1) stripping and re-painting the frames and wheels. Looks like the Dupli-Color products are good for this.
2) replacing the front forks, handle bars, grips, seat posts, seats, pedals, tires and maybe the front chainring (see below)
3) adding the fun stuff like fenders, chainguards, mirrors and bells
This thread will probably run to infinity and beyond, so I'll start exhibiting my complete lack of knowledge with the following...
First question: Is there an "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Converting A Mountain Bike To A Cruiser" reference anywhere?
Just kidding, I sorta know the answer to that one so...
Second question: Can I replace the front three-ring chainring for a simple chainring?
Why you ask?
Well, first of all, who needs 21 speeds on a cruiser, right? Secondly, I would like to simplify the looks of the bike by getting rid of a derailleur and one of the handle bar controllers and also to be able to add a chainguard if I can find something that would work. I figure a single chainring somewhere between the largest and second largest diameters with an appropriate tooth count would do the trick. I'm also assuming some spacers will be necessary so the right crank will clear the frame. Will this require new cranks or is this question completely dependent on the crank set in place? The Trek has a Bontrager Comp, 22/32/44 teeth crankset with Shimano Deore LK deraileurs/shifters and the Schwinn has a Shimano Alivio, 22/32/42 teeth crankset with a combination of Shimano Alivio, Acera and STX-RC deraileurs/shifters.
I'm gonna leave it there for now and go think up some more stuff to drive you folks crazy. I'd go to my LBS, but those guys are worthless with anything that doesn't apply to expensive road bikes.
Thanks!